Rhumbline Advisers Trims Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Rhumbline Advisers cut its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,798 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 247 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.28% of AMERISAFE worth $2,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in AMERISAFE by 6,160.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 84,080 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,418,000 after buying an additional 82,737 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth about $412,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in AMERISAFE by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 39,683 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,045,000 after buying an additional 2,759 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth about $283,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in AMERISAFE by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 38,491 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,984,000 after buying an additional 3,729 shares in the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 1.8%

AMERISAFE stock opened at $44.45 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.10. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.23 and a 52 week high of $60.24. The stock has a market cap of $846.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 0.42.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.01. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 19.49%. The firm had revenue of $83.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.66 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is currently 62.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

AMERISAFE, Inc, an insurance holding company, underwrites workers’ compensation insurance in the United States. The company provides benefits to injured employees for temporary or permanent disability, death, and medical and hospital expenses. It sells its products through retail and wholesale brokers and agents; and small and mid-sized employers engaged in hazardous industries, including construction, trucking, logging and lumber, agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications, and maritime.